The
solar collectors installed on the roof of the Wright Village University
Flats main office building. The system will provide additional heating for
the students living in the flat above.
Close-up
of the solar collectors.
The collectors consist of polycarbonate covered boxes with metal heat absorber panels which warm up during the day under the winter sun. Air from inside the flat is circulated using a low-powered fan through the collectors, transferring the heat from absorber, and back to the living area. The fan is thermostatically controlled so that it only operates when the air intake temperature is warm enough.
The
insulated thermal storage unit during installation in the roof space.The unit consists of capsules of phase-change material (what are PCMs), which store the solar energy captured from the collector panels as latent heat as the warm air is circulated through the unit. In the evening air is recirculated from the living area through the storage unit which releases the latent heat as the phase-change material cools and transforms back into its solid state.
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